Review Summary: an approachable, hypnotic, and multifaceted dance album for both you and your madre
The dance floor has never seemed so inviting. Despite the whirlwind of systematic insanity and malevolence that has wracked our world so far this decade, 2023 was the year that finally got me into dance—I reckon that escapism was the primary factor. That relative inexperience with the genre will hopefully grant me a few moments forgiveness to wax poetic; I feel that dance music is one of the few kinds to grant a true exit from your own mind (should you wish it). The act of dancing is so blissfully external, and good dance music can make it as easy and involuntary as breathing. In this way,
Madres is an open hand beckoning you, saying, “You made it! Stay a while!” And why shouldn’t you? Sofia Kourtesis paints a world of beats that blossom as organically as the flowers she often dons as a crown, one where vocal samples and computer beats blend seamlessly with live percussion and her gorgeous voice—a voice that was largely absent from her previous EPs.
Which is to say that while this may be Kourtesis’ “debut” work, she’s already a veteran of the game. Inching toward 40, she’s been a staple of the international dance/electronic scene for years, a Peruvian DJ whose influences span as far as the places she’s graced with her talents. But
Madres is unquestionably her best studio work yet, a pulsing, multifaceted achievement that hones all her disparate interests into a record that’s also startlingly cohesive. That may be because unlike many other house records,
Madres is not so much about slowly piecing together a provocative beat before moving on to the next; rather, it picks a vibe and commits to it. Sure elements will dip in and out, such as the pop-collage “How Music Makes You Feel Better,” but she’s rightfully more concerned about how sequencing these tunes might affect the dance floor. This adds both spectacular cohesion and admirable variety, such as when the album shifts from the blood-pounding “Si Te Portas Bonito” to “Vajkozcy,” a moody house highlight that sees Kourtesis switching to english to deliver devastating lines (“We had it all too long… too long”) over a hopeful beat that reflects the titular neurosurgeon that saved her mother’s life which in turn inspired the album’s creation.
Some may find the emphasis on rhythm and craft to prove a bit repetitive, particularly on “Funkhaus”—an enjoyable groove that nevertheless overstays its welcome in the later minutes of that same clattering beat in a rare moment of isolated excess. But that too directly leads into “Moving Houses,” by far the most significant tonal break from the album. It’s a gentle, long, longing tune featuring her isolated vocals against shifting electronics. It’s the exact kind of thing that could kill this album if its full spectrum of regret, worry, and assurance wasn’t completely tangible—it is.
“Cecilia” might be the purest example of
Madres’ form, bouncing across latin-esque beats and starry piano melodies while vocal samples intertwine like Aesculapian snakes. It shines bright, promises a better world one day, and somehow means it. It’s hard to find a vow like that these days, even in music. Sofia Kourtesis has crafted an essential dance album—not one where you pick a couple tunes from to play on the floor and discard the rest, but one crafted to be a moving (and frankly dazzling) experience for anyone willing to open their heart to it. I hope you dance.
